In a conventional digital book production workflow, electronic files for book blocks and covers are stored in a digital repository. To produce a book, the electronic files are retrieved and sent to a workstation or server, such as, for example, a digital front end (DFE) for data manipulation. The books can be printed by a cover-driven workflow where a printed book cover is automatically scanned to initiate the printing of its associated book block. A set of these covers can be stacked and read, one at a time. As each book block is printed and brought into the binder, the cover that initiated the job is also brought into the binder and bound to its book block.
Print jobs typically have an associated print job ticket that specifies how many books are to be printed in a customer order. Problems exist with conventional workflows because there are often variances in the number of materials available for a job and the number of books specified to be printed in the print job ticket. For example, variance problems occur when there are more covers loaded into a printer than are needed for a print job. Similarly, for example, variance problems occur when there are too few covers loaded into a printer than are needed for a print job.
The variance problems can lead to inefficiencies in the printing process as well as lost productivity time. Further, overprinting of books can cut into the cost of materials. Thus, there is a need to overcome these and other problems of the prior art and to provide a way for a system operator to handle these situations.